Mikhail’s eyes never left Lily, sharp as a blade. The guard shook his head. “No idea, Boss. I can ask the club manager if you want.”
“I need to know everything—her name, her address, her work, what makes her tick. Whatever belongs to her… should be known to me. Gather everything.” His voice was low, deliberate, dangerous—enough to make the spine shiver. He never joked, never faltered.
“As you order, Boss.” The guard bowed, eyes flicking toward Lily one last time before disappearing.
Mikhail Abramov was a man of his word. A past buried deep, secrets none dared probe. Walls of ice encased him—nobody got close. Nobody melted him.
But tonight… tonight was different. Something about her—the glance she cast, the subtle sway of her red dress, the way the room seemed to blur around her—pulled him in. He didn’t understand it. He didn’t question it. He only knew he had to know more.
A man approached. “Mr. Abramov… distracted tonight?”
Mikhail’s eyes darkened, jaw tight. “Distracted? I don’t get distracted.” His low growl left no room for argument. “I am intrigued. Who is that woman?” He gestured toward Lily.
The man hesitated. “She… she looks like Mr. Garcia’s daughter. But he says she doesn’t go out. I’ve only seen her on his phone wallpaper. I’m not sure…”
“Daughter of Garcia… the assassin?” Mikhail’s lips curved into a smirk, eyes narrowing.
“Yes, sir. I think it’s her.”
“Then confirm it. Tell me everything you know, and I’ll let you have the deal—no second questions.”
Oliver’s eyes lit up, words spilling out. “Garcia once came to the club drunk… overshared. That’s when I knew he had a daughter. He even showed her picture on his phone—he lost his wife in a mission, blamed the daughter, but still… said he loved her. Name’s Lily… Lily Garcia.”
Mikhail’s eyes darkened. “Blamed her? Why?”
“No idea. He never said… I never asked. This was six months ago. Memory’s hazy. Do I get the deal, sir?”
Mikhail rose, slipping on his jacket. “Yes. And if you learn anything more—inform me immediately. I’m in Memphis for now.”
He scanned the club. Lily was gone. Without a word, he strode out, guards flanking him.
Inside the Phantom, the driver asked, “Where to, Boss?”
“Back to the mansion first.” His voice was calm, lethal, preoccupied.
As the city lights blurred past, Mikhail dialed. “Jackson. I need everything on Alec Garcia. Especially his daughter. Drop everything else—this is urgent. Quick.” He hung up before the other side could reply.
Meanwhile,
Lily felt it—an almost electric pull. A pair of eyes, sharp and unwavering, locked onto her across the room. She looked up to see a man leaning back, cigar smoke curling around him, gaze fixed, unblinking. Her stomach did a small flip.
She tugged at Marcia’s elbow. “Hey… you see that? That man—he’s staring at me. It’s… strange.”
Marcia glanced, a low chuckle escaping her lips. “Strange? Honey, he’s just letting his eyes get blessed. If a man like him was staring at me? I’d be in his lap by now.” She laughed, teasing, while Lily shook her head, uneasy.
“Let’s go… home. I don’t feel like staying here longer.”
“Seriously, Lily? Fine. If you’re that nervous, we can try a drink,” Marcia said, half-smirking, practically dragging her toward the bar. But Lily refused, shaking her head.
“No, Marcia. I don’t wanna drink… it would be my first time, and I don’t want to do it without Dad around. Let’s just go, please?”
"Ughh...fine, let's go."
Outside, Kevin was waiting. Marcia called him, explained everything, and soon they were all driving back. Lily climbed through her window quietly, careful to leave the dress and heels for tomorrow’s school return.
In her room, she glanced at the clock—12:17 am. She let out a slow, quiet sigh, perching on the edge of her bed. Eyes closed, she whispered softly to herself, a mixture of guilt and thrill threading her voice:
“I broke the rules… for the first time.”
A tiny, satisfying shiver ran through her—a taste of freedom, sweet but shadowed by a feeling she couldn’t yet name.
She looked at the diary on the nightstand and opened it to start writing.
Dear diary, 12:20 am
15/7/2016
I went to the club with Marcia, for the first time. I broke the rules? but aren't I am 18 now? I can do what I wish to, right? I don't know what will dad say if he got to know about it. I hope he won't be too much mad at me. I just wanted to celebrate my birthday like normal people who turn 18 do. I hope dad will understand it if he gets to know.
There was a strange man staring at me there. It was weird, but he wasn't bad looking though. Marcia gave me her red dress and heels. I love these but I'll return them tomorrow in college. Today was amazing but I still wish it was dad celebrating with me. I am still waiting for the weekend.
Good night, diary.
Lily.
She placed the diary back on her nightstand and sank into the soft embrace of her bed. Her mind replayed the day—familiar faces, familiar routines: her father, Marcia, Kevin, Uncle John, the maids. But amid the usual, there was something—or rather, someone—new.
A man. A stranger whose gaze had touched her in a way she hadn’t known existed, a look that both unnerved and intrigued her. She didn’t know who he was… yet part of her already wanted to.
Little did Lily know, tonight was more than just a fleeting moment. It was the first page of a story she hadn’t written—one that would soon rewrite her life.
As sleep claimed her, the last thought lingering in her mind was of him—the man whose eyes had seen her, truly seen her, in a way no one ever had. And somewhere in the shadows, a presence mirrored her drifting, though with hunger, intent, and a plan of its own.
Meanwhile Mikhail,
n the solitude of his mansion, Mikhail Abramov reclined in the shadows of his study. The city hummed far below, oblivious to the obsession quietly taking shape above it.
He lit a cigar, inhaling deep as the smoke curled around him, wrapping him in his own darkness. “So delicate… so unaware,” he murmured, voice low and dangerous. “And yet… she’s already mine, even if she doesn’t know it.”
His fingers drummed against the polished wood, each tap a heartbeat in time with the hunger building inside him. Every plan, every call, every shadowed step he would take—everything led to her. Lily, the girl who had captured his gaze in a single fleeting moment, had become his world.
Tonight, she slept, dreaming of normalcy, of innocence—but tomorrow, everything would begin to change. He would be the storm in her calm, the force she couldn’t resist. And as Mikhail leaned back, exhaling the smoke like a promise, he whispered to the darkness:
“My little zayka… soon, you’ll see. Soon, all of you will be mine.”
ns216.73.216.121da2
and then Add to home screen.